[By the thirty-seventh year, unintentionally, you combined the Eagle Falling Skill with the Dragon Slaying Blade Technique. From this, you gained enlightenment, realizing that martial arts are a complementary art; the two cultivation techniques fused into one, allowing you to kill with ease, as if plucking an item from your pocket!]
[You documented this new cultivation technique and named it the Ocean-Reversing Blade Technique.]
The fusion of two martial arts brought quite a surprising delight to Chen Yi.
In "Heavenly Realm," there were many complementary martial arts and complex synthesis routes as intricate as old tree roots. However, most synthesis options were only triggered during mid to late stages.
During his second playthrough, Chen Yi vaguely sensed the compatibility between the Eagle Falling Skill and the Dragon Slaying Blade Technique, but he hadn't expected that at this point in time, the two techniques could actually merge.
[True Qi Remaining: Fifty Years.]
Staring at the fifty years of True Qi displayed above, Chen Yi hesitated.
Should he condense it into True Yuan or leave it for now?
After some deliberation, Chen Yi ultimately decided to store it temporarily.
Condensing one True Yuan required a full thirty years of True Qi!
Next time, there's no guarantee he could open so many boxes again.
Moreover, to push the Resentment Yin-Yang Technique—a top-tier cultivation technique—to minor completion, five True Yuan were needed. Even condensing one True Yuan wouldn't make much difference.
Elevating the Resentment Yin-Yang Technique required an immense investment of resources, but the returns were equally substantial. Once the Yin Yang Technique reached minor completion, it would become a genuinely powerful dual cultivation technique, yielding far more than just True Qi.
Chen Yi pushed open the door and abruptly saw a petite figure leaning against the edge of the door. When the door swung open, she staggered backward.
"Oh, you were eavesdropping?"
Chen Yi said.
Clearly, she had overheard everything he just said to Min Ning.
Yin Tingxue didn't respond but meekly nodded, her eyes wide open.
It seemed… his decision to take her as a concubine wasn't motivated by her body...
This is, this is… fantastic!
No wonder he hadn't acted immediately...
She kept thinking to herself, her heart filled with relief, and there was even a faint trace of joy at the corners of her eyes.
Even though she hadn't heard everything clearly, she did catch a few key words.
When Yin Tingxue snapped back to her senses, she realized Chen Yi was staring at her.
That gaze felt like silver needles piercing directly into her heart, and deep within, there was even a trace of mockery—though Yin Tingxue couldn't discern it clearly.
Chen Yi slowly retracted his gaze and strode inside.
"Bring me water."
Chen Yi said.
"For, for what?"
Yin Tingxue asked, slightly flustered.
"Foot washing."
Chen Yi lightly tapped her cheek and mocked, "A foot-washing maid should wash feet."
Yin Tingxue bit her lip, her ears turning red.
In the Prince Mansion, had anyone ever addressed her like this? She used to have only maids washing her feet, obedient to her every command. She understood clearly that this man was humiliating her to the fullest.
In the end, she decided to endure it for now and answered calmly, "Master, please wait."
The glimmer of joy in the corner of the Prince Mansion girl's eyes a moment ago didn't escape Chen Yi's notice.
This little fox seemed to harbor some unrealistic fantasies.
Once the Resentment Yin-Yang Technique showed minor results...
At that time…
Chen Yi couldn't wait to see the frightened expression on the Prince Mansion girl.
One way or another, he'd make sure to give her a rude awakening then.
Yin Tingxue clearly had never washed anyone's feet before, perhaps had never even washed her own. Chen Yi figured that, in the Prince Mansion, she was most likely pampered by her maids to the point she wouldn't know how to serve others.
Even so, the mere act of touching a man's feet made her ears flush red.
She forced herself to finish washing the feet, and Chen Yi could see the slight trembling in her hair.
After the foot-washing, Chen Yi put on his boots and headed to the kitchen. Though Yin Tingxue was now a concubine and could manage simpler tasks like foot-washing, serving food was another matter entirely. If anything, she might clumsily burn down the kitchen and still fail to cook properly.
Before his transmigration, Chen Yi would occasionally return to the countryside to visit, where he used the rustic stoves. Cooking a meal was no problem for him.
He prepared some cured meat, a little pickled vegetables, and two bowls of plain rice, then brought them out. Yin Tingxue had already grown hungry, but even so, she didn't wolf down the food; she merely ate faster than usual.
After lunch, Chen Yi left the house.
By the time he returned from West Factory, it was already nighttime.
Chen Yi carried back a meal box filled with good dishes, including a cup of snow fungus soup. Yin Tingxue ate without hesitation. Having been a princess before, she now didn't understand the courtesy expected of a maid; after finishing, she didn't even say a polite word and merely covered her mouth to let out a small burp. After the meal, as night fell, she grew drowsy, sitting on a chair and nodding off repeatedly.
Chen Yi led her to the bedchamber.
When they reached the bedchamber and she climbed onto the bed slowly, she suddenly stiffened.
Yin Tingxue turned her head and nervously looked at him.
Chen Yi took off his outer clothes, leaving only his inner garments.
"You, you… what are you about to do?"
Yin Tingxue asked with clenched teeth, her voice trembling.
"What am I about to do? Sleep, of course. There's only one bed here."
Chen Yi said with a grin.
What a pitiful look she had.
From behind, he pinched her waist, forcibly pressing her onto the bed.
Yin Tingxue wanted to resist, kicking her legs, but when she caught Chen Yi's severe gaze, she immediately softened up. Trembling, she gritted her teeth and unwillingly yet obediently crawled onto the bed.
"There's clearly still a guest room… Besides, didn't you sleep on the floor yesterday? I know… you're a martial artist. Sleeping on the floor isn't a big deal; maybe it even helps you cultivate martial arts…"
She stole a glance at him as if afraid of provoking him further, cautiously trying to persuade:
"Sharing a bed with me won't do you any good. I move around a lot and I'll kick the blankets… Master, you should sleep on the floor instead—it'll help your cultivation; endure hardship to ascend, to truly become extraordinary… Or, I'll sleep on the floor, and you can give me a blanket…"